She's Like the Wind
by Stay Country
Summary: He's screwed up one too many times and he knows it. After the accident, there's nothing he can do. No matter what he does he can't get it right. Tim's always yelling and fighting. Angela's always crying. Then she comes along, and he thinks things might just be turning around. Of course, he's just some stupid kid, and what the hell does he know? On hiatus...
1. Some Nights

**Hey Lovelies! How've you all been? I've been busy! I hope you guys enjoy. I've been imagining this story for a while and I finally got it down! I'm excited! So, I guess here we go…**

**Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns **_**The Outsiders. **_**And the song **_**Some Nights **_**belongs to Fun.**

* * *

_Some nights I stay up, cashin' in my bad luck.  
Some nights I call it a draw  
Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle  
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off_

His palms were sweatier than they'd ever been. His chest was heaving up and down. He felt like he was about to have a heart attack and there was no doubt in his mind that his eyes were as wide as saucers. There was a tight knot in his stomach that wasn't loosening up. If anything, it was getting worse.

He stumbled forward, but everything was blurry and he was confused. He was fucking scared. He knew he had to admit that to himself. Not that anyone else was going to receive that information.

There was a lot of screaming around him and someone kept yelling his name. The pounding in his ears was making it seem so quiet, though. What the fuck was happening? He grabbed onto his head, trying to make out the sounds around him.

"Shepard!" they were talking to him. They had to have been because Tim wasn't there and there was no way in hell that Angel would even think about ending up where Curly was.

He couldn't make anything out. He was so out of it. He looked around, trying his hardest to figure out what was happening and why he was around all this yelling. He didn't want to be around the noise.

"Curly, we gotta get the fuck outta here now!" so they _were _talking to him. He gritted his teeth and tried to make out who it was. The only thing he could figure was that the rest of the shouting was coming from behind them and it was getting a little too close for comfort.

He felt himself get tugged slightly along. Something hit him in the back of the head, but he was yanked ahead before he could do anything about it. If someone wanted to start a fight then he was game. He wasn't going to brush off a fight because of a stupid headache.

He grabbed his head and bent down as it started pounding. Fuck, what was happening? He squeezed his eyes shut tight as he felt someone grab his arm. He tried to shrug them off, but they kept a tight grip.

"Let's fucking _go_!" they screamed. Wait, he knew that voice. _Marty. _What the fuck was Marty yelling about? Before he could ask Marty was dragging him along, running like he had the devil on his tail. Curly tried to make out what was happening but couldn't.

The screams from behind were even closer and Curly started losing even more vision. He wanted his head to stop spinning. He wanted to stop running. He wanted to beat the face in of whoever felt it necessary to throw something at the back of his head. And he wanted Marty to calm the fuck down and explain to him what was happening.

Before he could say anything, Marty- or what he could make out of him- turned and shook him a little. All it did was make the swirling in head even worse.

"Shepard, I swear to fucking God, that if you don't start running-" Curly didn't hear the rest of the sentence and suddenly everything went black.

* * *

_6 months later_

He could hear his heart pounding against his chest, the rhythm almost soothing while at the same time exhilarating. He slid the joint between his lips. The way his chest filled up at the taste made him feel a hell of a lot better than he had been lately and he let himself smile lightly because of it. He was feeling above the clouds.

And, sweet Jesus, didn't that feel good?

It'd been too long since he'd gotten his hands on one of these babies and he knew he was damn lucky to have bribed one off of someone. The old shed down by the river was one that constantly contained low profile pot-heads of all sorts- and not many were fond of loaning their stashes.

He was glad he'd found Carl, though- the guy who used to deal a little ways down the street from him before the cops had picked him up and charged him with possession, locking him up for a good few months. After that he left it to smoking his own and chilling at the shed. Of course, he didn't mind sharing a little with his old friend.

Curly had left the place about half an hour before with the few amount of joints tucked carefully in his pockets. As he slowly inhaled one of them in the dimly lit bathroom at Buck's, he couldn't help but feel relief wash over him as his mind wandered off.

He needed that joint- he knew that for sure. That damn Lucy Arnold and her older brother. It was their fault he'd been pissed all fuckin' evening. Not to mention Tim had to lay into him as soon as he'd gotten home from school for God knows what. Plus, he'd had to deal with Angela screaming and throwing shit around because of some stupid as hell party Tim was "forbidding" her to go to. Curly hadn't had the slightest clue why she felt the need to throw a fucking fit over it. Everyone knew she was gonna go no matter what Tim said.

He let the smoke fill his chest as he thought back to Lucy. Ah hell, if she wasn't something. Her legs were long- real long- and real smooth looking, too. They looked like they belonged to a model- not some greaser girl in the middle of Tulsa. Then there were her curves. Good God, Curly couldn't forget those fucking curves. They made his jeans tighten just imagining them. He had it bad for Lucy- well not really Lucy- but Lucy's body. He'd been eyeing her since her family had moved to town a few months back.

They'd talked a few times- even ate lunch out at the oak tree behind the school a few times together, but she hadn't shown any affection towards him. That hadn't bothered him because Curly, so much like his brother, knew he had a never ending charm that somehow seemed to work girls into his bed if only just one time.

She didn't have an ounce of personality, though. In fact, she was as interesting as a pile of dirt.

But, hell, those legs. Curly licked his lips as he thought about it, pulling the joint out of his mouth and blowing the smoke up towards the ceiling of the bathroom.

He'd seen her walking down the street after he'd finished listening to Tim yell at him for whatever reason he had to be angry. Curly couldn't really remember what it had been. Tim was always yelling at him for a million and one different problems and every time hurt him a little more than the last, but, of course, he wasn't going to share that little bit of information with anyone.

So, he'd been walking down the street when he spotted her- long legs and all. She looked better than usual which, at one point, Curly had thought damn near impossible. Her low cut top showed a good amount of cleavage though it wasn't leaving much for the imagination and Curly could feel himself shiver at the thought of his hands on her- touching her, grabbing her. That's what he wanted and for some reason, he wanted it bad.

At the moment, he was pissed and frustrated and just wanted a release. So he ran across the street and cut her off, smirking at her. She didn't seem to be responding the way he wanted-not one bit. He wanted this girl in his bed because she was fucking hot and he couldn't even imagine how good of a time she'd be. She didn't seem to want to follow, though.

He'd lowered his head closer to hers and whispered a particularly dirty sentence to her when her brother strolled around the corner, and although he'd been whispering, he really hadn't tried to make the statement extremely quiet. Her brother had stopped dead in his tracks and before Curly knew what to do, all fucking hell broke loose.

He ended up with a busted lip and a bit of lowered pride, but none of that really mattered anymore because, here he was, the best medication in the world settled in between his fingers and slowly filling his lungs with that shit that would probably be his death someday.

He didn't give a fuck, though, and the only reason being was because he simply couldn't.

Who cared if Lucy Arnold didn't want to fuck Curly Shepard? She was a prude anyways. Just a baby who didn't know what she was missing out on. It was her own damn fault. Curly wasn't going to worry about it if she was simply being stupid.

He sighed and dragged his fingers back through the curls on top of his head. Damn, he wished he'd gotten her in bed. Frustration still crept inside of him, but he could feel the drugs working their magic and pushing those feelings down. And he was glad, because he didn't want to feel. He was just having a bad day. He'd had enough to know it would be over with soon enough.

There was a lot of noise going on downstairs, but he wasn't surprised. Nor was he surprised about the equal bit of commotion that could be heard upstairs. It was, after all, a Saturday night. Everyone and their brother were out having a good time. Well, everyone except for Curly that is, who had slowly started to accept that his night just wasn't going to have anything even close to a good time with it.

He sighed as someone banged on the door. He rolled his eyes, calmly blowing out a ring of smoke as he leaned against the sink.

"Occupied." He smirked silently and fixed his eyes on the joint as he rolled it between his fingers.

The person seemed to not get the idea when they banged on the door again. Curly fought off the urge to bang on the door back at them.

"Hey, I said occupied!" he called and added quietly, "Fuckin' idiot."

He shook his head and turned his attention back to the joint as he slowly slid it between his lips. Before he could even take in a breath, the stranger banged on the door once again. He growled and flicked his joint into the sink. He couldn't get any peace, could he?

He grabbed the handle, swinging the door open, anger crossing his features. "…The fuck?"

Before he could stop them the person pushed around him and bent over the toilet, retching up whatever contents seemed to have once been settled in their stomach. Curly rolled his eyes, realizing his sanctum of peace had just been completely destroyed. He wasn't about to hang out in what was already a downright shitty bathroom after someone had thrown up all over it. He grimaced slightly before turning and walking down the hallway.

He needed to find something- or someone- to do. It was going to be a hell of a long night if he didn't. He could always turn in early, but that would most likely mean running into his mom and step dad and that was really something he'd rather avoid. He sighed and continued down the hall and the steps to the main floor of Buck's.

His mind was a little hazy and he knew that wouldn't let up for a little longer. He decided Buck's wasn't where he wanted to be. He didn't want to run into Lucy Arnold or her jerk of a brother. Not to mention Tim was probably wandering somewhere around the house and Curly was sure as hell that he didn't want to see his brother. Tim would start shit as soon as his eyes would set upon Curly's busted lip. That was truly the last thing he needed.

Curly trudged along the floor, nodding his head at some of the boy's from the gang. He watched their eyes trail over his injured mouth and the few other bruises on him, and he knew that Tim was going to find out no matter what he did. He sighed and continued to head towards the door. At least there was no sign of Tim. It'd be better to deal with him later, when he wasn't already mad about everything else in the God damned world.

As he continued to walk he spotted Dallas Winston flirting with Lucy Arnold. Well, fuck. He growled and clenched his teeth as she laughed at something Dally said and bent down a little to show herself off. Curly pushed his anger away, but could feel it boiling on the inside. Wasn't he still with that Sylvia What's-Her-Face anyways? And when had he even gotten out of the cooler? Curly hadn't heard about it- not that he was in the loop much anymore anyways.

Curly shook his head, looked away from the two, and stormed out of the house. As soon as the cool air whipped across his face he dug his palms into his eyes and shivered a little. The chilly feeling of November had quickly set in once the month started. He wrapped his arms around himself and started walking. Damnit, he didn't know where he was going and the shitty feeling inside of him was building, but he continued to walk. He'd figure out somewhere to go.

* * *

"Meredith? Mer, you awake?"

She could feel someone slowly shake her shoulders as she drifted out of her heavy slumber. She blinked her eyes open slowly, unable to immediately remember where she was. She looked around, realizing she was leaning against the car door, her head resting on her arms and her legs tucked underneath her.

She glanced to her left where her dad was leaning in the driver's door, smiling at her.

"Hey, baby, we're here," he said, continuing to smile. She looked outside and looking at the darkness she knew it was late. She couldn't see the house too well so she wasn't sure that 'here' was exactly where she wanted to be.

Meredith rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned, smiling back at her dad to satisfy him. For whatever reason, he was excited about the move. She couldn't figure out why anyone would appeal to the idea of moving from California to Tulsa, Oklahoma, but he obviously had his reasons. She, of course, still had her doubts about the move.

"Looks great, Dad," she said quietly, even though she still couldn't even see the house. He nodded at her and started to stand up.

"I'm gonna wake your brother up in the back," he tossed the keys to her and they successfully landed in her lap, "You can go up and take a look around if you want."

She sighed to herself as she glanced down at the object in her lap. Checking out her new house in the middle of the night wasn't the most appealing idea to her, but she thought it might please her dad a little if she looked to have some interest in it. She grabbed the keys in her hand and grabbed the door handle, opening it up and stepping out. She stumbled slightly, her tiredness still controlling her limbs. She balanced herself and looked up at the house.

Her eyes had adjusted slightly to the darkness, but there still wasn't much she could make out except for the front door and some windows. She glanced back at her dad, who seemed to be trying his hardest to get Andy up in the backseat. Meredith had to grin a little at that, because Andy had always been a heavy sleeper. It was one of his main qualities.

She started up to the house, glancing around at the houses lined up on the street. It looked a bit rundown, but her dad had warned her about that. He'd said the area wasn't going to be up to "normal standards". She wasn't exactly sure what normal standards were anymore. Their family of three had moved so much in the past year that she really didn't think there were true standards anymore. They'd gone from the nicest little houses to the shittiest apartments. It normally just depended on what kind of job her dad had each time.

Their last place in California had been cute and only an hours' drive away from the beach. They hadn't stayed there more than a month, though, before John had informed his two children that they'd be buying a place in Oklahoma.

Meredith tucked a small strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. It had been too cold in California for her to go swimming while they'd been there, but she'd taken up walking in the morning and the sun had bleached out her hair. She liked it better when it was lighter. She thought she looked more like her mom then.

She walked up the porch steps and over to the front door. Sticking the key in and unlocking it, she opened the door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was that the place smelled musty and she could practically taste the dust scattered all over the place.

She flicked the switch by the door and watched as the lights slowly blinked on above. She looked around. The place looked ancient, but she'd definitely seen worse.

She stepped inside fully and started to look around. It wasn't big, but they'd never needed a whole lot of space. They'd done smaller before and Meredith knew that they'd get by just fine with the space. She glanced around the downstairs before heading upstairs to find her bedroom.

All she wanted to do was get some rest. She didn't really care about anything else at the moment. She rubbed at her eyes and sighed as she slowly walked up the steps, holding onto the railing. Once she got to the top, she flicked the light switch and glanced down the hall.

One of the nicest things about her thirteen year old brother being so lazy was that she got first pick at bedrooms because she was always the first one looking around the new places. She started down the hall, glancing in all the rooms. None of them were too bad and all were of decent size, but she knew she'd leave the biggest one for her dad.

She got to the end of the hall way where there was another, smaller set of stairs. She walked up them and listened as they creaked slightly, the sound extremely loud in the quiet house. She got to the top and opened the door in front of her. It was an attic room. A window sat on the other side and the ceiling tilted in slightly at the top. She grinned at the room, especially when she noticed the small bed with its head sitting against the wall.

"Mer, where're ya' at, baby girl?" she heard her dad call from somewhere below.

She continued to look around as she answered him. "Up here, Dad," she called. She could hear him mounting the steps. He must've followed the light from the attic because he soon appeared in the doorway. Meredith had found her way over to the window and she was looking out over at the other houses around. She was still having some trouble with the darkness, though.

She could hear her dad walk up behind her. He rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed affectionately. She could tell he was smiling without looking at him. He loved when they moved. She didn't really know why. She often figured he just loved change a whole lot more than most people.

He liked the smell of a new home- whether ancient or fresh. He liked traveling and seeing different areas- even if it was in the middle of nowhere. He liked it- for whatever reason he had- and Meredith figured that was a good enough excuse to put up with it. She'd be out in a year anyways; she never really thought it was worth a fight.

After her mom had passed they'd packed and moved almost immediately after the funeral. She didn't think her dad could've gotten out of there any faster. That had been back when she was sixteen. She had recently turned seventeen and they were still going. It wasn't too bad for her.

Meredith was reserved. She kept to herself and only allowed herself to open up to her brother or dad. After her mom died she hadn't been able to ever really find an easy way to come out of her shell. It wasn't that she was shy, either, because she'd been known to talk people's ears off, but she didn't like getting close to people and not associating with them seemed like the easy way to do that.

She looked back at her dad and gave him a small smile. "I wanna stay in here."

His grin widened and he nodded. "I figured you might," he let go of her shoulder and pointed behind himself with his thumb, "How about we go get the stuff out of the car? You can go ahead and get your drawings in a safe place."

She nodded and followed him out of the room down the steps. As they walked through the hall, her dad looked back at her.

"I don't think Andy is gonna be much help. He was being a pain when I tried to get him out of the car," he rolled his eyes as they headed down the first set of steps and towards the front door. Meredith laughed lightly and shook her head, walking out the front door behind him.

"He's always been like that, ya' know? He ain't gonna magically change his ways of being lazy all of a sudden."

John shrugged as he reached the car and opened the trunk. "I can dream, can't I?"

Meredith smiled and nodded, grabbing her case of drawings, paper and pencils. She also grabbed onto her suitcase while her dad got out his own and Andy's. They started back towards the house.

Meredith noted how it was awfully quiet except for yelling that could be heard in the house next to theirs. It sounded like a man and a woman, but she could also hear another voice that sounded like a young man's. She wondered if they'd have to deal with that the whole time they were in Tulsa.

She shrugged off her curiosity, not really in the mood to think about it. She stepped back inside the house and looked around one last time before carrying her stuff back up to her new room.

_Some nights I wish that this all would end  
'Cuz I could use some friends for a change  
Some nights I'm scared you'll forget me again  
Some nights I always win, I always win_

* * *

**A/N: So, there's the first chapter! Thanks so much for reading! Please review! Reviews motivate me! And a special thanks to **_**TaylorPaige24 **_**for checking this over. She's amazing!**

**Review~**


	2. Paradise

**A/N: I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the late update and it's only the second chapter! Good grief! Ugh, well I was grounded so…yeah. Anyways, I'm sorry and I really want to thank the reviewers, the followers and favoriters. You guys are so sweet! So, I hope the wait was worth it…**

**Disclaimer: S.E. Hinton owns **_**The Outsiders **_**and Coldplay owns the song **_**Paradise.**_

* * *

_When she was just a girl  
She expected the world  
But in flew away from her reach  
So she ran away in her sleep  
And dreamed of para-para-paradise_

If it weren't for the fact that Meredith was constantly fighting her nerves of moving into the new house, she'd probably still be asleep and in some sort of peaceful dream. She'd always been an early riser. Never one to sleep for excessive hours into the afternoon, but even six was early for her. She supposed it was just her nerves, the move, and everything else that she'd had to deal with every time she ended up in a new place.

Meredith sat cross-legged on her new bed, fidgeting slightly. It was unfamiliar territory. She wasn't used to the feeling of the bed or the air of the room. It made her uncomfortable and she hated it.

_Tulsa, Oklahoma_, she thought to herself, _more like Hicktown, USA_. She'd never been to a town like Tulsa. She didn't really understand it so far and she hoped to God that she wouldn't be around long enough to.

She looked towards the window and at the rising sun. She was glad that her dad wasn't making her and Andy start school until Monday. She wouldn't have liked it if they had been_ forced_ to go the day after they moved in. Plus, she knew that it'd just give Andy another thing to fight with their dad about and that was one thing their family did not need.

She sighed and stood up. She could hear her dad downstairs as he made his daily cup of coffee. One thing she noticed about the house was that you could hear everything at all times. The house was deep-rooted and worn. The walls were thin. If someone thought about sneaking in, they wouldn't have a chance.

She ran her fingers back through her tangled blonde hair and opened up her bedroom door. She had no doubt that Andy would be sleeping until someone forced him out of his bed, so she stayed as quiet as possible as she headed down the steps. The last thing she needed was a cranky thirteen-year-old on her hands. Meredith knew he still wasn't over the move. He hated moving even more than Meredith. She could remember every fight that had gone on between her brother and dad over the past year and the thought made her wince a little. She knew there'd be plenty more in the next few weeks.

She reached the bottom of the steps as she heard her dad clear his throat. She didn't even have to go into the kitchen to know he was sitting at the table, drinking his coffee and staring at the newspaper. For a moment, that seemed strange to her because, for as abnormal as they were, that slightest bit of normalcy just didn't fit in. Of course, she didn't mind it. Her dad's morning routine had been one of the only things that had stayed the same after her mom passed. So many things had changed to the point that she couldn't even remember how it used to be.

She pulled her sweater around her shoulders a little tighter as she realized how cold the house actually was. She made her way out into the kitchen and smiled at her dad as he looked up from his paper.

He noticed her through his glasses. "Morning, baby girl," he said, folding his paper and setting it down on the table. "You're up pretty early."

Meredith shrugged nonchalantly and took a seat at the table. She was surprised her dad had said anything because any other day he wouldn't have noticed. Meredith figured it had to do with the move because, even though she would never say anything, she had the slightest suspicion that her dad knew she didn't love moving as much as he did. He always seemed to be a little more worried every time they moved. Meredith figured she couldn't blame him.

She shifted in her seat. "No earlier than normal, I guess." She raised her eyebrows. "You though were driving the whole day yesterday. You might wanna head back to bed for a few more hours. And don't tell me you're not exhausted because I know you are."

Meredith watched her dad smirk slightly. "Well, you know me, Mother Hen, I'm an early bird." He smiled and shook his head. "You seem to be forgetting who the parent is in this situation? Shouldn't I be giving _you_ suggestions on when you should and should not be sleeping?"

Meredith smiled and shrugged. "Well, I just figured you might need a little help remembering what's good for you, old man." She beamed at him, feigning innocence. "I'm only trying to help."

His face got serious as he raised his eyebrows and pointed a finger at her. "You watch who you're calling old man, little girl. I'm pretty sure I've got some moves that you've never seen."

Meredith laughed and shook her head. "Okay, old timer. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

He stared at her, eyeing his daughter for a moment before raising his head. "I've got some pretty slick moves up my sleeves. I can keep up."

"You willing to make a bet on that?"

"You bet your ass, I am. Like I said, I've still got a few moves."

Meredith snickered at her father's seriousness and grabbed for the paper, jumping up quickly. She waved the paper around and above her head. "I'm sure you do, _Grandpa_, but I think you need to show me some proof. Be careful though, you're lookin' a little weak and I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Her dad shook his head but jumped up quickly. He motioned for her to come forward, but she shook her head and backed up a little.

"Uh-Uh, no way. You have to come and get it."

He shrugged and smirked a little. "Fine, but you asked for it."

They both started to dance around the kitchen, hopping every which way. Meredith would jump one way and her dad would almost grab the paper before she would jump another way. This all continued for a good few minutes before her dad got close enough to pull her into a hug. He held onto her as tight as he could. All the while, Meredith tried her hardest to squirm her way out of the grasp. Before she knew it, she was out of his grasp and he had the paper in his hands.

"I told you I still had some moves." He grinned, holding up the paper in victory.

Meredith rolled her eyes and sat back down at the table. "Squeezing me to death does not count as a 'move'." She looked at him for a second before adding, "It doesn't even fall into the category of 'keeping up'. All you did was hug me."

He raised the paper again and waved it around. "Mer, who has the paper again? Oh, that's right - not you."

Meredith crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "You're a child."

Her dad nodded. "Yes, but I'm very tall for my age."

She rolled her eyes before hearing a snort behind her. She turned quickly as she spotted her brother leaning against the entrance to the kitchen. He was shaking his head, his blonde curls jiggling slightly at the movement. Meredith grimaced, noting that he definitely needed a haircut. Andy claimed that he liked it long, but everyone in the country knew it looked better short- except for Andy that is.

Meredith felt her face fall slightly. She knew what would happen if her and their Dad didn't act as if they were walking on glass for the next few days. Andy had a short temper, the same as the rest of them, but he was easier set off. Meredith had learned earlier in life how to keep herself calm and their Dad had always known that the easier going he was with his children, the better. Andy, though, wasn't as simple. He got angry easily and it always seemed worse when they moved.

Meredith shook herself out of her trance and smiled. "Morning sunshine," she said. "Since when do you get up at the crack of the dawn?"

Andy threw her an irritated look before walking over to sit down at the table. "Since my family thought it was a great idea to make as much noise as possible," he replied bitterly. "Why do you guys always make so much noise anyways? It's too early to even be functioning."

Andy put his head down on the table and closed his eyes. Meredith watched him.

"Oh…" she said quietly, looking to her dad for help but he merely shrugged and she suddenly felt deserted. She sighed a little. "Well, sorry we woke you up. We really didn't mean to."

Andy looked up at her. "Yeah, okay. Whatever you say, Meredith."

She looked at him worriedly. She really didn't want Andy upset all day. The last thing any of them needed was another blow up, especially so soon into the move. She shook her head, searching for the right words.

"Really, Andy, we didn't mean to. In fact, you can go back to bed and we'll-" She stopped herself to glance at her father. He was shaking his head and looking right at Andy.

She saw the unhappy look in his eyes, the look that meant he thought he was failing Andy- the guilty look that he would sometimes get when Andy started sulking. That's how things went. They'd either be screaming at each other or else Andy would hate John and John would feel like everything was his fault.

Realizing that she wasn't going to be getting any support from her dad, Meredith stopped herself. On one hand she felt bad that Andy was so upset and she knew he had a right to be, but on the other hand, she was angry that Andy had gotten into one of his moods so soon- that he'd immediately made himself the center of attention once again because he was angry.

Meredith slowly stood up wishing that what should've been a good morning hadn't crumpled so quickly. She sighed and wrung her hands.

"Uh, Dad, is it alright if I go look around a little bit?"

The question seemed to break her father from his stare but he didn't look directly at her. He nodded.

"Yeah, sweetheart. Just be careful."

She nodded slowly and glanced at her brother. "Sure. Andy, you wanna come?"

He didn't answer. He didn't even look at her and she hoped he wasn't about to give her and their dad the cold shoulder for the rest of the week. She knew how angry John would get if he did. Their tempers could only be held back for so long and time was almost up.

She watched her brother for a moment, hoping he'd at least say something, even if it was turning her down in the harshest way he could, but when no response came she sighed and left the kitchen.

* * *

The smell of the morning air was stale to him as he sat on the front steps of his house, cigarette dangling from his chapped lips. He could see the wet dew on the grass and he wondered how it didn't look like frost from how cold it was. He was fucking freezing. His jacket was thin - one of the old ones Tim had given to him - and his jeans had holes in them, letting all the cold air seep onto his skin and cause goose bumps to run all up and down his legs.

He let out a frustrated sigh and blew the smoke from his cigarette up towards the sky. Man, did he wish he wouldn't have come home the night before.

His head was pounding from a sickly hangover that he really didn't give a fuck about nursing. He didn't feel good. Nowadays it seemed as though it didn't matter how drunk he'd been. He'd still remember everything that he didn't want to remember.

He could hear someone shuffling around inside and it sounded a lot like his stepdad, which would mean that he wasn't going to be re-entering the house until the movement stopped. Curly still wasn't sure how he'd gotten into a fight with his parents, but he knew that all of Tulsa had most likely heard them.

He didn't know what the fight had been about. Hell, he couldn't even remember a thing he'd said except for a slew of slurred _fuck yous_. He could also remember yelling at them at one point and asking why the fuck they cared because he knew they didn't. They wouldn't admit that though, no matter how much he wished they would.

He led a frustrated hand back through his hair as he growled low. He didn't understand why he had to constantly deal with shit from everyone. He knew he was a fuck up. Everyone else knew he was a fuck up. He didn't understand why they all couldn't just accept the fact and move one. Why did they have to constantly remind him?

Curly rolled his head back and looked up at the cloudy sky. He was never gonna have kids. That was for sure.

He started to hear laughter from one of the houses around him and he cursed them. How the hell could anyone be happy in the God forsaken town they lived in? Tulsa was horrible, at least on their side of town. Nothing good could come from it. That's exactly what Curly believed and all had failed to prove him wrong and show him differently.

He tried to identify the house where the laughter was coming from until it stopped. He sighed and looked around for a second, wondering if it would start back up or if the laughter would never come back again.

There was never laughter in his house. He didn't think there'd ever been. Thinking that at one point there may have been even an ounce of happiness in his family just sounded crazy.

He gazed over at the house on his left. There were new people living there and he wondered if they hated Tulsa as much as he did yet. The thought of wanting to move to Tulsa disgusted him. Why the hell would you want to come to Tulsa? He really couldn't imagine a worse place to come to and he was sure most everyone else thought that way. Maybe that was only because he'd never seen anywhere else, but if he'd had the choice, he would have never chosen to grow up where he did.

He stared at the house. The place was a piece of shit and that was saying something considering what Curly's house looked like. He shook his head and wondered what kind of bums could be living there.

He continued to watch the place before he noticed the front door opening and a girl walking out. He stared at her, guessing she was somewhere between sixteen or seventeen years old. He couldn't take his eyes off of her at first and he didn't understand why. She had blonde curls that fell just below her shoulders and he couldn't help but notice her long legs as they walked down her driveway. He watched her as she wrapped her arms across her chest, seeming to try and lessen the cold.

Curly stared at her. So, she was a part of the new people who'd moved in? Well, that actually wasn't half bad. He thought about walking up to her and embarrassing her a little because that's just what guys on their side of town did. Wouldn't it just be too kind of him to give her a warning about the town she'd moved into? He was sure she'd appreciate it.

Curly smirked and was ready to stand up before he questioned himself. He'd just gotten rejected the night before. Could his pride really take another girl telling him no? He wasn't exactly sure he needed another sass that would feel like a good kick to the balls. In fact, the latter sounded a little more pleasing than the former.

He sighed and blew some smoke. "Fuck it," he mumbled.

This chick didn't know anyone. It wasn't like anyone was going to find out if she _did_ in fact send Curly to his knees- metaphorically anyways.

He stood up and popped the collar on his jacket. He stepped out his cigarette and let out a long breath. He hunched over slightly and started to walk towards the girl. He couldn't help but wonder if she was already like the broads in town. Or did she already think she was too good for them? He shook the thoughts away as he got closer.

* * *

She didn't seem to notice the body approaching her since her head was fully facing the sidewalk as she kicked at a rock. She didn't even notice how said body was whistling as it got closer. She wasn't focused on much anyways- only how easily her family was able to crumble within moments. She was trying hard not to cry at the moment and it was becoming harder and harder with the passing seconds.

She sighed and looked up. It wasn't until he was only a few feet away that she actually realized there was a presence near her and, at the same moment, she seemed to realize his destination was her. Why he was walking her way, she wasn't sure, but she continued to walk and kept watch on him out of the corner of her eye.

She was hoping he'd keep walking, pass by her or something, but when he didn't and he said something to her she mentally cursed herself for not just staying inside her house. She wasn't a social person. She wasn't fond of people, especially new people and she really just wasn't in the mood to make friends. She would never be in the mood to make friends.

"Hey," he said to her.

He walked up beside her and she ignored him. She hoped he'd just leave her alone. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to go.

She sighed when he tried again, "Hello?"

She picked up her pace as she felt her curls lightly bounce on her shoulder blades. The wind whipped at her face and she shivered slightly.

_Go away. Just go away. Please, leave me alone._

She exhaled with a hint of annoyance as he quickened his speed with hers. His hand came out in front of her and he jumped around so he was facing her. He gave her an idiotic look and waved a hand in her face.

"Hello? Are you deaf or something?" he asked.

Meredith stopped abruptly, her eyes going wide at the hand in her face. She stood there for a few seconds, blinking away her confusion. She swatted the hand in front of her face and gave the person in front of her an angry look.

"What the hell is your problem?" she asked angrily.

Why was this guy bothering her? She just wanted to get away for a few minutes and this person was preventing her from doing that. She stepped around him, attempting to shove him as she started to walk again.

She could hear footsteps trying to catch up behind her and she felt her blood pressure rise slightly. She was upset enough about what had happened in her house. She didn't need someone else forcing her emotions over the edge. He came up alongside her and his steps fell into sync with her own.

"What's _my_ problem?" He smirked and she hugged her chest.

Who the hell was this kid?

He said, "How about what the hell's _your_ problem? I didn't do shit to you."

She slowed her pace down, him doing the same. She sighed and came to a stop as she realized she'd probably come off more harsh than necessary. This guy would probably get the point if she just told him. She turned towards him and watched as he smirked at her.

She scrunched her nose at the look on his face. "Well, then what do you want?"

He smiled at her and, although she knew it was fake (she'd been given plenty of fake smiles in her time). It looked a tad bit more genuine than most of the fake smiles she'd seen though. He pointed over behind her and nodded his head. She turned and looked.

"Well, you see, I was sittin' on my porch right over there," he said. She squinted her eyes to try and see which house he was talking about. "It's the one with the shitty porch swing."

She looked around a little more and finally found it. She looked back to him and gave him a funny look. "We're neighbors…"

He nodded. "We sure are." He paused and watched her as she fidgeted slightly under his stare. He sneered. "Anyways, I couldn't help but notice your pretty little self-making your way out of your house."

She stared at him. She noticed the amused look on his face and suddenly felt clueless. She wasn't quite sure what the boy's motive was, but the look on his face wasn't at all reassuring and she was starting to feel a bit intimidated.

He continued, "So, I got to thinking. And I thought about how I ain't ever seen you walking from that house. In fact, I ain't never seen you at all." She nodded slowly at him, "And that's when it came to me. That you must be new to town."

"I am," she concluded and he smiled.

He gave her a shit-eating grin. "I know. And I just couldn't help myself in being the first to congratulate ya' on the move." He leaned in a little closer. "And I wanna be the first one to let ya' know, that you can come over to my place whenever you want." He leaned in even closer so that their faces were only inches apart and her eyes were as wide as saucers. He added, "And we can do _whatever_ you want."

She continued to stare at him with her wide eyes. He stared back at her. It took her a moment, but she quickly snapped out of the trance that he had brought her into. She tried to shove him away, with little success and she gave him a disgusted look.

"You're disgusting. Leave me alone, you pig," she stated angrily as she started to walk away again. He rolled his eyes and ran to catch up with her. He stopped her again and grinned.

"C'mon baby," he said slowly and watched as she cringed at the term 'baby'. He was really bothering her and she was feeling her blood start to boil. Why was he talking to her like that and calling her names? She puckered her lips in slight confusion and anger as he continued. He said, "We'd have lots of fun. Those long legs would look real good with you kneelin' down in front of me."

He watched as her eyes darkened and she pursed her lips. She gave him an angry look, one that her small, delicate face didn't seem as though it were able to produce. She stepped closer to him. Did he think this was funny or some kind of a joke? She for sure wasn't laughing if that was what he was trying to produce. On the other hand, she cringed slightly at the possibility that this guy could be all too serious. She felt her confusion turn into anxiety while her anger simply multiplied. Who did he think he was?

Her face was red and she pointed a finger at him. She watched his serious expression turn into a slightly amused smile. Was he seriously laughing at her? She wasn't sure what she was doing- or what she was even capable of doing for that matter. She started moving her finger a little before she let out a heavy breath and put her finger down.

"You know what? Forget it," she pushed him to the side, "Just leave me alone."

She could feel the tears start to swell in her eyes as she stormed off away from the guy. She wasn't sure where she going. She didn't want to head home, but at the same time she didn't want to run into more of the town's inhabitants. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place and, at that moment, she decided running off to anywhere that didn't contain people would be her best move.

She continued to move, hoping she could find a quiet place to sit and forget her first morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

_So lying underneath the stormy sky  
She said oooh I know the sun was set to rise  
This could be para-para-paradise  
This could be para-para-paradise  
This could be para-para-paradise_

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading guys! Review please, Lovelies. Thanks bunches to TaylorPaige24 for checking this over! She's just fantastic and I appreciate her so much. See you next chapter and I hope ya'll have a great Thanksgiving this week!**


	3. Another Hole in the Head

**A/N: Hey, guys! Thanks for the reviews last chapter. They're appreciated. So, I turned fifteen yesterday. Yay! I thought that was deserving of a chapter. Haha, so here you go!**

**Disclaimer: S. E. Hinton owns **_**The Outsiders **_**and Nickelback owns the song **_**Another Hole in the Head.**_

* * *

_I'm through thinking of things to say to you  
It's true, I've said enough and so have you  
Just drive, you slam the door and so do I  
Tongue tied from all the little things  
And they're the reason that I scream_

"Man, you got a smoke I can bum off of ya'?"

Curly turned his head at the sound of his friend James' voice. He looked at him dumbly for a moment before comprehending what had been asked of him. He shook himself out of his trance before quickly nodding his head.

"Sure, man, whatever."

James grabbed for the pack eagerly, pulling out a smoke and quickly lighting it. He smirked. "My old man found the pack I was hiding in my drawer. I figured he already knew about 'em but when he actually caught me with them, man, was he pissed?" He blew a ring of smoke before continuing, "Thought he was gonna blister my ass."

"Yeah man, that sucks," Curly mumbled nonchalantly.

Curly looked out at the parking lot, scanning the people as he leaned up against the brick wall of Will Rogers High School. There weren't many people at school yet. He figured once more started coming in he'd ditch with James for a couple of hours then come later before Tim came to pick him and Ang up. There wasn't any reason for staying at the school anyways. It wasn't as if he paid a lick of attention to what the teachers droned on about throughout the day. He was happy with his D average and he got that just fine without listening.

He watched as people walked in, Socs and greasers of all sorts with a few middle class students every now and again.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket wishing he had some gloves or something. Every day it got colder and colder out. Curly often wished the dreadful, sticky days of summer would make reappearance. Anything sounded better than the freezing chill of the incoming winter.

"Curly? You with me?" James waved his hands in front of Curly's face, snapping him out of his thoughts. Curly rubbed at his eyes tiredly and yawned. "Man, you are out of it today? What is with you?"

Curly shrugged his shoulders, keeping his expression neutral. He glanced at his friend. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I was gonna sleep it off today before Tim forced me out of bed." Curly rolled his eyes when he mentioned his brother's name.

James raised his eyebrows before blowing a ring of smoke up towards the sky. He gave Curly a quizzical look. "Why don't he just let you rest? He got some new rule that gang members gotta show up to school or something?"

Curly sighed and kicked at a rock that was near his feet. "More like a family rule," he mumbled quietly before kicking another rock even harder. "He tells me and Ang that we better be goin' to school no matter what everyone else is doin'. He says if we don't, we ain't gonna like the consequences." Curly glanced over the now crowded parking lot as he scowled. "Ain't that the biggest load of bullshit you've ever heard? You think Tim spent a day of his life giving a fuck about school? Like hell he did."

James shook his head slowly, confusion falling over his features. "So then, why does he make you all go?"

Curly shrugged, but his face quickly changed to one of annoyance. "Because he likes to be in charge. It doesn't matter if he really thinks it's a good idea or not, just as long as the other person doesn't like it and he gets to feel powerful and what not."

James smirked. "That's a harsh life ya' got goin' for ya'."

Curly rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it."

The conversation came to a close and Curly looked back out over the parking lot. He scanned the people, some laughing and some just simply talking. Some looked ready for the day and some looked ready to drop dead at any second. Curly himself felt ready to turn around and head home. He really didn't want to sit through hours upon hours of lessons and lectures, just to forget everything he was supposed to remember the next day.

He sighed and watched the people walking into the building when a familiar face caught his eye. He focused on her for a moment, noting how she was alone and how her arms clung onto the books held tightly against her chest.

She sure seemed high strung. He wondered if she was always like that; ready to jump at anything or anyone. She sure had been ready to pounce on him about what he'd said to her.

James tapped his arm, nodding towards the girl. "Who's that?"

Curly shrugged, stealing his cigarette from James. "Hell if I know."

James gave Curly a knowing look and a slight shove. "Seriously, man. You obviously know her. You keep watching her like she's a celebrity or something."

Curly shook his head. "Nah, I don't know her." He glanced at James and continued once he saw his expression, "Alright, she's my new neighbor, but I don't _know_ her. We talked a few days ago but we ain't spoken to each other since.".

James looked at the girl and cocked his head a little. "What's her name?"

"How the hell would I know?"

James produced the most idiotic look he could possibly pull off at the moment. "Oh, I don't know dumbass, maybe because you _talked_ to her."

Curly shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable. "We didn't really _talk._ I think I pissed her off more than anythin'." He paused before adding, "It was funny, though. I thought it was funny, anyway."

James laughed. "You mean she didn't find your harassing _funny_? That's a damn shame, ain't it?"

"Hey, man," Curly said slyly, "I was just welcomin' her to the neighborhood is all. Ain't nothin' wrong with that as far as I'm concerned."

"So what exactly did you say that pissed the broad off so bad?"

Curly attempted to portray a look of innocence. "I may have implied that I wanted her on her knees."

"Yeah, I'm sure you just _implied_ it," James stated sarcastically. He continued, "Curly you ain't never implied_ shit_ in your life. You're more of a straight to the point guy."

Curly shrugged. "Whatever, man. You think I scared her off?"

James gave Curly a funny look. "I don't know, but who the hell cares? It's just some chick."

Curly glared and stood up from the wall. "I know. It was just a question, damn."

* * *

Meredith held her books close to her chest as she entered the new high school. It was all unfamiliar territory to her, but unfamiliar territory had become the norm in her life. She was used to seeing new hallways, getting a new locker combination, seeing new people, getting new teachers and having to deal with everything else that would be new.

She wasn't sure about the school, or the town for that matter. It wasn't as if there was anything she could do, though. What was she going to do? Ask her dad to move back to California? There'd be no point. It wasn't as though she'd made an effort to make new friends while she was there either.

Meredith sighed as she walked through the doors. Students were walking back and forth, running and flowing in all different directions to reach first period on time. She walked towards the front office and opened the door. She walked in and watched as the lady at the desk gave her an extremely cheesy smile. Meredith shuddered a little.

"Hello!" The lady's voice was nasally and a little too cheery considering what time it was. The lady pulled her glasses down from her nose and allowed them to hang around her neck. "What can I do for you?"

Meredith rubbed her arm awkwardly as she kept a tight grip on the books in her hands. "Um, I'm Meredith Jacobs." She paused and allowed for a moment of uncomfortable silence before continuing, "I'm new here…"

The lady's smile faltered before she quickly composed herself. She nodded. "Oh, yes! I remember your name coming up." She fingered through a stack of papers and a few files, pulling a few out every now and again. She handed them to Meredith, the wide smile still on her face. "Well, let me be the first to say welcome to Will Rogers." Even though it seemed impossible, Meredith swore the grin got wider. "You'll absolutely love it here."

Meredith couldn't have counted the amount of times she'd heard that. She nodded once. "Right…" she trailed off slightly. "Thanks."

She left the office, the papers which included her schedule, being held in her left hand as her right hand continued to hold onto her books. She sighed as she looked over her schedule.

"Science first period?" She could feel a headache coming on and suddenly wished that she could wait another week to start school. "Fantastic," she mumbled sarcastically before going off to find the class.

* * *

So far the day had droned on more than any other day of her life. Every teacher except for one had forced her to stand up and introduce herself. Not to mention most of the classes only had extra seats up front where no one else had wanted to sit. Meredith cringed. This town was not going to be on her top ten list. That she knew for sure.

She felt relief wash over her at finding a table at lunch that was completely deserted. Avoiding the kids of this school would make everything so much easier. It would be one less thing to deal with and worry about.

She sat down, setting her lunch tray on the table in front of her. She wasn't really hungry, especially not after some of the comments she'd heard the boys saying to some of the girls in the hallway. She wondered if all the guys in Tulsa were like that. Her new neighbor sure was.

Meredith took a bite into her apple as she felt a presence near her. She turned her head as a girl with curly brown hair and dark eyes sat down beside her. Meredith was preparing to stand back up and flee to another free table when the girl looked at her, giving her a small smile.

"Hey," she said. She set her tray down next to Meredith's. "You're the new girl, right?"

Meredith inwardly groaned. Was she really going to have to deal with another new person in this town? She'd had her fair share of introductions and she wasn't in the mood for another one. On the other hand, she didn't want to immediately be labeled in the town as the bitch that ignored everyone.

She sighed slightly. "Yeah, that's me."

The girl gave her a once over. "Wow, that's awesome! I was hoping I'd get to introduce myself. I'm Jessica by the way, but you can call me Jess if you want, or just Jessica. Whatever works. Just don't call me Jay or Jessie because that's what my older brother calls me and I hate it. He does it just to get on my nerves. Done it ever since I was a little tyke and hasn't stopped a day since." The girl finally took a breath and laughed slightly. "Wow, I just go on, don't I? So, what's your name?"

Meredith's lips formed a straight line. "Meredith," she mumbled quietly, trying to not make eye contact with the girl. Meredith wasn't fond of new people especially ones as verbose as this Jess girl was proving to be.

She pushed her food around a little before Jessica spoke up again. "So, where are you from? We don't get many new people around here. Not that it's bad or anything, I guess. There's just never anyone new coming in, ya' know?"

Actually, Meredith didn't know. She had no clue how the town or its people worked. She also had no clue why this Jessica person would assume that she _did_ know. Meredith kept her gaze away from the girl.

"Um, I moved from California."

The girl's hand hit the table as she looked at Meredith excitedly. "Really? Oh my God, I've _always_ wanted to go to California! I've never been more than two hours away from Tulsa, though. See, after my dad left us my mom was real worried about me and my brother so we've never gone too far before. And it's not like we've ever had a lot of money to go anywhere, ya' know? Guess that's just our side of town, though, huh? I mean, most of us don't got much."

Meredith finally looked over at the girl. She pushed a piece of blonde hair behind her ear and stared at her. She wasn't sure what the girl meant by _us_. _Us_ referred to more than one, which meant she wasn't just talking about _her_ family. Meredith stared at the girl for a second. "I…Uh…I think I have to get to class."

The girl nodded her head understandingly. "Sure, go on. It was nice meeting you! Maybe we can talk later."

"Right." Although, Meredith knew she'd be trying her hardest to avoid Jessica at all costs.

Meredith grabbed her tray and ditched the table as fast as she could. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. As she dumped her tray, she reached for her schedule. She let herself smile despite the day she'd had so far.

"Art next," she said to herself, "Nice."

She quickly found the art room and spoke to the teacher. It was a man and his name was Mr. Edwards. He seemed extremely nice and even said he wouldn't make her introduce herself. Meredith felt relief wash over her. She moved to sit at one of the empty tables in the room. She smiled to herself a little as she realized the rest of her day might not be as bad as the beginning.

She started to sketch a little bit on a piece of paper, trying to see if she could get anything going before the class started. She could feel people moving around her and she heard some others sitting at her table. She didn't bother to look up, though, since she was far too into her sketch.

"Well, fancy meetin' you here."

She recognized the voice, but she couldn't place it at the moment. She stopped her hand and slowly looked up to spot the person who'd spoken to her. When she spotted him her face fell completely and she could feel her heart sink.

Low and behold, the rude punk who apparently was her new neighbor was sitting right across from her. He gave her a smile.

"How are ya', doll?" he asked as he leaned back in his seat.

Meredith turned around, trying to see if there were any more seats open. She saw one, but as she spotted it, the girl from lunch started waving her over excitedly. Meredith rubbed at her temples.

"What?" he laughed, nodding towards Jessica. "You don't want to make friends with Chatty Kathy over there?" He crossed his arms over his chest and let out a breath. "Well, I don't blame ya'. Every time we made out she'd just keep on blabbin' about shit that nobody cared about. Couldn't even get the girl to stop talkin' for a second, not even when she was blowing me."

She sat up a little. He made out? With _Jessica_? For some reason that just didn't sit right with Meredith. A crude guy like him, with a friendly girl like her? No, that didn't make much sense at all.

Meredith bit her lip, wondering if she should ask. She didn't really want to start a conversation with the guy, considering how he'd acted towards her the first go round. She shook her head softly to answer him and she looked back down at her sketch.

"She really was annoying. I mean, lookin' at her ya' wouldn't know, but spend enough time with her and you find out soon enough."

She was a little more curious now. Meredith gave him a funny look, cocking an eyebrow. "You two dated?"

He smiled a little at getting her to talk to him. He looked up as if he was thinking about her question. "I believe the term for it is 'hooked up'." He cringed slightly. "And yes we did that."

Meredith's eyes went wide. "_You two_?"

He shrugged. "Sure, why?"

Meredith shook her head slowly and looked back at Jessica for a moment. "You just don't really seem each other's types."

He gave her an amused look. "Sweetheart, as long as you fill out and put out, you're my type."

Meredith gave him a disgusted look before looking back down at her drawing. Why was she even talking to him? He was a pig, obviously. She didn't need to be making conversation with a guy like _him_. She knew what guys like that wanted. She'd dealt with plenty over the past year. Going to several schools really helped to allow someone to open their eyes to how people really were.

Mr. Edwards started to talk about the project the class was working on. Meredith frowned slightly at the word 'ceramics'. It wasn't her strongest suit by any means. She really had hoped they'd be doing a drawing project. That's what she was best at. She focused her attention on the teacher as he started to show the class how to make a box. She rolled her eyes. Okay, she knew how to do _that_.

Someone kicked at her legs and she quickly glared across the table. The boy looked at her innocently and shrugged a little. She clenched her teeth and tried to concentrate on Mr. Edwards when she received another kick. She sighed in frustration.

She glanced at the teacher before harshly whispering, "What do you want?"

He held his hands up in defense. "I was just tryin' to ask ya' what you were drawin'. I was bein' polite is all. Why do you get so defensive?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and flipped her drawing over before turning her attention away.

"Ain't I allowed to see it?"

She shook her head no. She could hear him huff in annoyance. Why was he annoyed? She was the one being picked on. She stared straight ahead and crossed her arms over her chest. Maybe sitting next to Jessica wouldn't have been such a bad idea after all.

"Hey," the guy whispered. Meredith ignored him. "Hey," he whispered a little louder. She ignored him once again. He let out a frustrated breath as he tried once more, "Hey!" He kicked her leg as he said this and she reacted.

"Ow!" she complained loud enough to cause the whole class to turn their way. Meredith's face turned red instantly. She slumped down slightly in her chair.

Mr. Edwards crossed his arms slightly at the two and directed his attention on the boy. "Mr. Shepard, are you _really_ harassing the new student on her first day here? That won't leave a very good impression, you know?"

The boy gave Meredith a discreet wink before smiling at the teacher. "Oh no, sir. I wouldn't dream of it. Nah, I was just tryin' to make friends with uh-well-with um-"

She stared at him, wondering if there was any possibility that he actually _did_ know her name. She sighed inwardly and looked between him and the teacher. She saw his struggle and showed him an annoyed expression. "Meredith," she interrupted quickly, and much to her own surprise.

The boy seemed a little surprised that she'd answered for him too. "Right," he said quickly. "Meredith."

Mr. Edwards gave him a hard stare for a moment before giving them a curt nod. He started back up on his instructions as the students directed their attention back to him.

Meredith propped her head in her hand as she leaned her elbow on the table, sighing. She could feel her face cool down a little. She prayed that the guy would just let her be. Her dreams were crushed when he spoke to her again.

"Curly," he whispered, quieter than all the other times.

Her eyes widened slightly and she looked at him. "What?"

He grinned a little. "You're Meredith. I'm Curly."

_I needed you  
Probably as bad as I need another hole in the head  
'Cause I needed you  
Car keys in your hand I believe that you would leave me for dead_

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**A/N: Thanks for reading ya'll! And special thanks to **_**TaylorPaige24**_** for editing! Hope you all have a good week! Review, please!**


	4. Every Time I See You

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**The Outsiders **_**or the song Every Time I See You by Luke Bryan.**

* * *

_I wanna tell you everything I ever wanted to say, but I never do, every time I see you. Every time I see you, I'm sure my steering wheel and dashboard would love a good break, but they feel it, too- Every time I see you. Why do I gotta see you?_

The rest of the school day hadn't gone much better than the beginning. Meredith had tried her best to zone out for the rest of the day and avoid as many people as she could. She could tell they didn't like her, but no one ever liked the new kid. No one ever wanted to be friends with the new freak in town. That's what she felt like. A _freak._

Everyone in this town dressed a certain way. Everyone acted a certain way. Meredith couldn't help but notice though, there appeared to be a split in the social circles.

Half of the town looked one way and half looked another. She'd lived in towns with similar characteristics, but this one was more defined in its differences.

There was a fine line between the one type and the other. There were a few neutrals and Meredith wasn't sure where she fit in exactly. She didn't really dress like either group, nor could she remember acting the way they acted.

The girl from earlier, Jessica right? Was it Jessica? She couldn't quite remember, but it was obvious that the girl and that Curly kid were from the same group. They hung around the same type of people. Plus, they'd been together at one point or another.

Meredith still thought that was odd.

The town confused her. The school confused her. The people confused her. She just wanted to leave.

Hopefully their dad would decide to pack up and move on to somewhere else soon. For once, Meredith didn't think she would mind.

Meredith exited the school, holding no books to her chest and her backpack empty. If they really thought she was going to put any effort into school when she knew she'd be leaving before the end of the year, then they were mad.

She didn't care.

She hadn't cared much ever since they'd start moving around so much. She was sure that her Dad didn't like it, but he never really said anything. He had enough things to worry about. She was sure.

As she walked across the parking lot she could see the Curly kid. She had quickly decided that she couldn't stand him. People like him were the reason she isolated herself from others. His crude remarks and his need to annoy had made her angrier than they should have. She didn't like people like him. She barely liked _people_.

He spotted her from where he was leaning against the hood of a car, smoking and she wished he hadn't seen her because now she felt caught and she feared he would approach her.

That would just be the cherry on top.

She looked away quickly and bit her lip, praying that he wouldn't come near her. She'd dealt with him once already that day and that sure as hell was enough for her. She was already tired of dealing with new people and she'd barely been in Tulsa a week.

"Meredith!"

She closed her eyes tight.

Jesus Christ, his voice could give her headache.

Was he seriously calling out her name? Like she was some sort of dog? After all the bothering he'd done to her in art, he was still going to give her trouble.

She thought about ignoring his call, ignoring every part of her that was telling her to not turn into the new bitch in town. By now she really didn't care. It'd been a long day and she was finished with it. She wanted to go home and wallow in her own self-pity.

She continued walking until she heard the call again, and this time it was closer. "Meredith!"

Why did she give him her name? When was that ever the best idea?

"Shit," she muttered as she could hear footsteps getting close.

She continued to ignore him anyways as she sustained walking. He would leave her alone. If she overlooked him he would leave.

She felt an arm drape across her shoulders and a voice in her ear that caused a shiver to crawl up her spine. "Hey, Doll face. Where you runnin' off to so quickly?"

Meredith quickly shrugged the arm off of her before it came back almost immediately and tighter, pulling her closer to him. She hunched slightly, awkwardly standing under the touch of this guy. They had stopped walking at this point, and Meredith wanted to run off as fast as she could. She didn't want him touching her or talking to her. He didn't seem to get that.

"Get off me," she muttered, pulling away as hard as she could. She broke free from the grip. "What's wrong with you?"

He chuckled. "Oh c'mon, baby. It's just a friendly gesture. We are friends aren't we? Don't ya' wanna be friends?"

Meredith could feel a growl forming in the back of her throat as she clenched her teeth. "Not particularly, no." She got ready to turn. "But thanks for offering."

She started to turn when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back, closer to him this time. He gave her a slight smirk. "Listen, Princess. I can offer you a damn bit more than a friendship." He raised his eyebrows seductively. "All you gotta do is ask, baby. You remember what I told ya' 'bout good 'ol Jessica?"

Meredith started to turn again, not believing what she was hearing. No, she didn't want to talk to him. No, she didn't want him to touch her. And no, she sure as hell didn't want to _ever_ touch him.

"Can you just fuck off?" she asked angrily, turning around fully and starting to walk.

Curly let out a breath and walked a few feet after her. He grabbed her again. This time she turned back around without much of his help and threw her arm down angrily.

Curly stepped back and held his hands up defensively. "Woah, calm dow-"

"Do you think I'm stupid or something?" she growled out. "I know what you're doing. You're not a very discreet person, you know?"

"Discreet?" he asked in confusion, slowly shaking his head. "What are ya' goin' on about?"

Her gaze fell somewhere behind him, but he didn't look back. She said, "I can see your friends watching. And don't think for a second that I'm falling for this shit. I know guys like you."

"Guys like me?" Curly laughed. "Doll face, you don't know shit about guys like me."

She narrowed her eyes. "You wanna bet?"

She gave him a look, one that was sure to make him understand that their conversation was not going anywhere good, but he narrowed his eyes anyways. "Try me, Princess."

She leveled her gaze so she was staring right at him. "Fine. I know that the only reason you're over here is because you bet your friends that you could get a rise out of me. It could be for other reasons, but I've already rejected you once and I would hope you're not _that_ stupid."

When Curly said nothing, she continued.

"I also know that you only care about yourself and that if I were to even _consider_ getting into a bed with you that you wouldn't even remember my name the next morning." She waited a few more moments before continuing. "And I know that you are just some guy, and you're an asshole. And I don't care about you, or your name, or why you decided to pick on me and I never will."

Meredith let out a deep breath as she got all she needed to off her chest. Curly stared at her for a few moments, his stance not changing, although it was starting to feel a bit threatening.

Curly shook his head slightly and laughed in a non-humorous manner. "You're a fuckin' bitch."

Meredith shook her head. "Leave me alone."

She turned once more, but Curly didn't bother to stop her this time. Meredith walked away, her blonde curls bouncing slightly. She didn't look back and she kept her pace fast, wanting to get as far away from the Curly guy as quick as possible.

* * *

Curly stood there in the parking lot, watching Meredith walk away. He was shaking his head at her still. He didn't realize she was such a bitch, not at first. Originally, he just thought she was a bit unfriendly, but no. She was definitely a bitch and a big one at that.

He thought about pulling her back once more and giving her a nice _go fuck yourself_, but then thought better of it. He didn't know her. He didn't _want_ to know her. He just wanted to rattle her a bit, give her something to bitch about because it was undoubtedly funny. Except he didn't find this time too funny.

She hadn't been wrong. He had told his friends back at the car that he'd be able to piss her off something mighty and he honestly hadn't known that it would have the effect that it did.

He turned slowly, spotting a few of his friends laughing. They saw her storm off, but he knew they hadn't heard what Meredith had spouted off at him.

When Curly spotted James though, his friend with a smirk on his face, Curly knew that James knew. James may not have heard the words exchanged between Meredith and him, but Curly knew that James knew he hadn't won the battle. That much was obvious.

Curly walked back over to the car, and Roger, one of the guys in their gang, patted him on the back. "Shit, man. What the fuck did you say to that broad?"

"Yeah, you make a crack about her wearin' a sweater to this school?"

"Seriously, that girl is a babe, but she sure as hell don't dress like one."

Curly hid behind a mask as he fed them a line of bullshit. He didn't like the look James was giving him the entire time, but he ignored it. He'd let his best buddy know later, when the people who helped him keep his rep weren't right there in the conversation.

Luckily, it wasn't long before most of the guys decided to head out and Curly could wipe the smug look off James' face. As the last person walked away from them, Curly turned to James and shook his head.

"Stop lookin' at me like that."

James laughed. "Shit, Curly. That broad must have said somethin' good. Hell, you looked like ya' just lost your best friend."

Curly glared. "Shut the fuck up, man. She didn't say nothin' worth shit."

James grinned and shook his head. "Fuck, Shepard. I know you better than about anyone. Don't feed me no line. That girl fuckin' knocked you out."

Curly shook his head. "She's a bitch."

James nodded. "Yeah, a good lookin' bitch, too." He chuckled softly. "And apparently witty."

Curly just gave James a look, as if he was confused as to why James referred to her as "witty". He shook his head and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it quickly. He put the stick in his mouth and inhaled the heavy smoke into his lungs, allowing it to rest there as the cigarette worked its magic and slowly relaxed him. He sighed and looked at the parking lot for a second, seeing all the different people.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered quietly.

He turned back to James who was giving him a knowing look. James smirked. "Ya' know, man, it's been a long time."

Curly blew out some smoke. "A long time? Since what?"

James bobbed his head slightly. "A long time since I've seen you get that frustrated over some dumb broad."

Curly narrowed his eyes. "So?"

James held his hands up in defense, the smirk still present. "Nothin', Curly. Never mind."

James was different than the other guys in the gang. He saw things differently. Curly had known that about him for a while. Some of the things James said were weird, but they made sense. That was just who he was. He wasn't stupid or just a jerk like most of the guys. In fact, the only reason he'd made it into the Shepard gang was because of connections he had.

Curly had always been friends with James though, despite the strange things he said. Curly didn't like it when James started saying these weird things directly about him, and James knew that.

Curly snarled. "What the fuck are ya' talkin' about?"

James shrugged. "Like I said, man, I know you better than most. I'm just sayin' that the way ya' looked at her, ain't how ya' look at others."

Curly scowled but said nothing more as he turned away. He didn't want to listen to James. He didn't want to hear his friend's opinion on the situation because it didn't matter to him. He really just wanted to forget about Meredith and what she'd said to him.

She was just a bitch and James was just crazy. Curly sighed and threw his cigarette butt to the ground. He didn't say anything to James as he quickly walked away through the parking lot.

_You're like a wreck out on the highway. I can't look away and I can't pass through. You're like an early morning Monday, bringing me down messin' with my mood. I'd love to say, I can hold myself together, but I can't help but come unwound, every time I see you._

* * *

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